Bangladesh fell back six slots in its ranking in terms of mobile internet speed performance on the global stage, despite the operators making progress in their performance individually, according to the Ookla's Speedtest Global Index for March.

The country now stood at the 112th position out of 148 countries while it held the 106th position in the previous report published by the Ookla in February.

According to the March report published recently, broadband internet in Bangladesh also slipped one notch from 107 in February to 108 in March.

Ookla report recorded 24.59 Mbps median mobile download speeds in March which was 24.19 Mbps in February. Qatar leads the chart for overall global median mobile speeds, with a median download speed of 313.30 Mbps from previous 286.42 Mbps.

In Ookla's recent index, India clinched the 16th spot globally for mobile internet speed, boasting a median download speed of 105.85 Mbps. Among neighbouring South Asian nations, rankings varied: the Maldives ranked 32nd, Myanmar 104th, Sri Lanka 123rd, Pakistan 127th, Nepal 136th, and Afghanistan 145th.

Bangladesh's mobile network scene saw Banglalink emerge as the fastest among five providers, with a commendable 89 per cent of its results meeting minimum download and upload speeds of 5 Mbps and 1 Mbps respectively.

The latest Ookla report showcased performance improvements across Banglalink, Grameenphone, Airtel, Robi, and state-owned Teletalk compared to the previous assessment. Banglalink led the pack in the fourth quarter of 2023 with a median download speed of 26.74 Mbps, followed by Robi at 24.62 Mbps and Airtel at 23.18 Mbps. Grameenphone and Teletalk lagged behind with median download speeds of 21.78 Mbps and 6.05 Mbps respectively.

Ookla's Speedtest Global Index derives its data from monthly tests conducted by users worldwide, providing a comprehensive comparison of internet speeds across the globe.